EXCLUSIVE: Long Island vs. MS-13 Gang

NOVEMBER 03, 2016 AT 6:29 PM Metro Focus

Long Island’s gang violence epidemic continues to rage on in Brentwood as another name is added to the growing list of casualties. The skeletal remains of 18-year-old Jose Pena-Hernandez, a known gang member, were recently discovered in the woods behind the abandoned Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center. Many are beginning to worry that there are still more bodies to be found, and authorities remain on high alert as they investigate each murder and their possible connections to the notorious MS-13 gang. Tonight, in an exclusive MetroFocus interview, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Tim Sini gives us an update on the investigations.

Homies Unidos was invited by Council of Thought and Action(COTA) to Hempstead, Long Island in an effort to be proactive to the issues affecting their neighborhood. We cannot be reactive to the violence in our communities, we cannot rely that law enforcement will solved the problem.

Step up and vote on November 8th!

Exercise your right to vote, even if you are not a citizen yet, with the right to vote, but do not forget that many of your family members, friends and coworkers can vote. Reach to everyone and step up and vote on November 8th!

Homies Unidos is a nonpartisan organization. Over the years we haven’t pledge neither affiliated with no political party neither any candidate. But in the other hand we have lived our share of injustice and inequality, we are incredulous, stunned by the many unjustly convicted or incarcerated. The Criminal Justice is more than broken by shattered in thousand pieces. What is more than scary but astonishing is that One of California’s most prominent federal judges, Reagan-appointed, has questioned fairness of criminal-justice system Alex Kozinski of the Ninth Circuit court of appeals.”[1]

Over one year ago, Kozinski stated, “Police investigators have vast discretion about what leads to pursue, which witnesses to interview, what forensic tests to conduct and countless other aspects of the investigation,” Kozinski wrote. “Police also have a unique opportunity to manufacture or destroy evidence, influence witnesses, extract confessions and otherwise direct the investigation so as to stack the deck against people they believe should be convicted. Wow.”[2]

Join us at 6:30 for a panel discussion with unaccompanied minors from Homies Unidos’ Central American Youth Council, who will talk about their experience. They will share their stories and work they are doing now to help others as they integrate into our community, schools and homes.

In solidarity with Central American Refugees (CAR), Homies Unidos is proposing to put together the first locally-accessible Central American Young Women Project. The main purpose will be to ensure that these refugee young women feel welcomed, provide health resources and on-the-spot referrals, build a supportive community, and create opportunities for positive feedback and self-esteem-building.

Our Pitch

Homies Unidos is grateful and proud of being part of our community achievements, we have done so much with your support which its been vital, without the Central American Youth Council we would not have done this. Although we are gaining momentum in some communities of Los Angeles, there is still a stronger need to empower young indigenous women in South Central, Westlake and Pico-Union.

Central American Young Women are asking for space for/by/with them, to flourish all their abilities, skills and accomplish their thousand times broken dreams due to unaccounted violence, abuse, that has prevented them to have a sense of identity and build together the needed popular power, to redefine a clear road to recovery, equality and unity within their own selves, families and communities. Frequently we indicate the unaccompanied minors’ epiphany, we have devoted considerate resources and hearts to support their cause to survive, progress and have a better future. Nevertheless, it is an endless road of challenges, we have realized that we are slowly making progress as a community by creating social services centralized for boys but not specific for young girls, which would bring awareness to gender, race, identity and cultural biases.

The Central American Young Women Project would map the road to self-awareness and women, cultural identity and origins, how to prevent violence and sexual abuse, teen pregnancy, lack of jobs, professional development and many other issues that ultimately rest on the hands and arms of the future women of our communities, women are essential and the soul of our communities’ strengths and weaknesses. The young women of today and the future women of tomorrow that have to have a specific space to pave the community recovery, healing and self-recognition of its potential, with the unquestionable gifts and contributions of the Young Women. They will go trough the Xinachtli curriculum for young women, the Youth Leadership Program and the II Central American Youth Leadership Conference, to eventually consolidate the Central American Youth Council in conjunction with the young men.

Homies Unidos is already doing the work with 7 girls out of 30 participants in two high schools, which is better this year in comparison with one from last year. But they are included within The Joven Noble curriculum, which is mostly for young boys. Regardless we achieve or not the whole goal, the funds will be focus in human investment, with the goal to compensate with stipends some of the most committed young women and Homies Unidos staff. They will have to reassess the needs, readapt the curriculum, build a proper work plan and implement the project starting this summer.

The major people contribution is getting the word out, sharing our campaign with all their social media and personal contacts.

With your monetary help, we’ll raise funds to continue helping unaccompanied minors integrate into their community, homes and schools. We will be able to remove tattoo of young man and women who now enjoy a better employment and have reduced the possibilities of being a target of violence or police harassment.

If you make a gift online today, we will be able to continue helping our community in stopping another cycle of violence and empower our members to become agents of change.

Homies Unidos started reaching out to schools and community service providers to refer CAR youth who needs mental health or legal services. As part of a preventive strategy we will begin implementing the National Compadres Network’s Xichatcli curriculum,Through this fundraiser we will address the needs of our young women where they can share experiences and be introduced to health and legal services providers among other resources.

Hispanics In Philanthropy Matching Program

$5,000 in Matching Funds on Tuesday, March 29th!
We will be offering the funds in 5 increments of $1,000 USD at the following times:

The School of The Americas(SOA) Watch Vigil is held every year in November. This year, it is being held from November 21-23. Thousands of individuals come together at the gates of the SOA and commemorate martyrs in
Latin America who lost their lives; such as the Jesuit priests in El Salvador and thousands of Guatemalan indigenous people due to training of Latin American military battalions trained by the U.S. SOA in Columbus, Georgia. Through our presence at this vigil, Homies Unidos members will learn to be advocates for Human Rights, hear from survivors of torture, and meet courage’s men and women who have been fighting to stop militarization in Central America during the 1980s. They will take part in a panel to speak of their ordeal as unaccompanied minors and the connection of U.S. continued involvement in destabilizing of the region.

Meet Jonathan at the School of the Americas Watch Vigil

These youth also took part of our Joven Noble rites of passage program and the Youth Leadership Training during the summer. They were the main organizer of the Central American Youth Leadership Conference this past September 19th. They are now forming the Central American Youth Council in which they will be working to address issues of Central American youth.

This is Homies Unidos 2nd participation of the vigil; in 2014 we took three youth. We drove back and stopped in different places to speak with community organizer working in labor issues in New Orleans, Immigrant issues in Arizona. Daniela Ojeda, one of the past participants, will be educating the new participants on her experience and will be join in us. Click to learn more

Central American youth and families from various schools will benefit from the resource fair, health resources, educational workshops and cultural activities provided by organizations and the youth themselves.

We want to thank HIPGive and all who have supported our fund drive.
If you want to be a sponsor for the conference, please contact us for

In solidarity with Central American Refugees (CAR), Homies Unidos is proposing to put together the first locally-accessible Central American Youth Leadership Conference. The main purpose will be to ensure that these refugee youth feel welcomed, to celebrate and promote Central American art and culture, provide health resources and on-the-spot referrals, facilitate a legal resources workshop, showcase their stories and experiences, build a supportive community, and create opportunities for positive feedback and self-esteem-building.

Porque una conferencia?

With your support we will be able to:
Provide training for 15 CAR youth this summer through our Youth Leadership Trainingto learn about how tell their stories and advocate to elected officials and community about their experience to gain support and start healing.

Youth Leadership graduates will spearhead the organizing of the Central American Youth Conference In September 19, 2015 at Santee Educational Complex.

Facilitate a preventive holistic health process of integration of the youth, which will be launched within the youth conference.

Youth will enjoy Central American art, culture and music to address issues of identity.

MAKE YOUR DONATION
Homies Unidos started reaching out to schools and community service providers to refer CAR youth who needs mental health or legal services. As part of a preventive strategy we began implementing the National Compadres Network’s Joven Noble curriculum, character development program to provide a safe space where they can express themselves with indigenous traditional tools. Even though, with limited resources we have served over 58 youth in four different schools: Santee High, Hawthorne High, Hawkins High and L.A. River. Through this Conference we will address the need to bring youth from other schools where to a place where they can share experiences and be introduced to health and legal services providers among other resources.

Please give! LETS MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

Participating Collaborating Partner:

More to come… email us if you would like to be a sponsor at pguadron@homiesunidos.org

Central American Youth Conference

You can help us reach our goal

In solidarity with Central American Refugees (CAR), Homies Unidos is proposing to put together the first locally-accessible Central American Youth Conference. The main purpose will be to ensure that these refugee youth feel welcomed, to celebrate and promote Central American art and culture, provide health resources and on-the-spot referrals, facilitate a legal resources workshop, showcase their stories and experiences, build a supportive community, and create opportunities for positive feedback and self-esteem-building.

Share, like and tag @HIPGive and use the hashtag #HIPGive2HEALTH

With your support we will be able to:

Provide training for 15 CAR youth this summer through our Youth Leadership Training to learn about how tell their stories and advocate to elected officials and community about their experience to gain support and start healing.

Youth Leadership graduates will spearhead the organizing of the Central American Youth Conference In September 19, 2015 at Santee Educational Complex.

Facilitate a preventive holistic health process of integration of the youth, which will be launched within the youth conference, workshops and the resource fair.

Youth will enjoy Central American art, culture and music to address issues of identity.

Homies Unidos started reaching out to schools and community service providers to refer CAR youth who needs mental health or legal services. As part of a preventive strategy we began implementing the National Compadres Network’s Joven Noble curriculum, character development program to provide a safe space where they can express themselves with indigenous traditional tools. Even though, with limited resources we have served over 58 youth in four different schools: Santee High, Hawthorne High, Hawkins High and L.A. River. Through this Conference we will address the need to bring youth from other schools where to a place where they can share experiences and be introduced to health and legal services providers among other resources.

Hispanics In Philanthropy Matching Program

Highest Percentage Raised Toward The Goal Per Week For Four Weeks

Up to $5,000

in matching funds

$5,000 during The Power Of Giving Hours

Firs Hour $2,500 June 9th during 12:00-4:00 PM PT (3:00-7:00 ET)

Second Hour $2,500 July 9th 12:00-4:00 PM PT (3:00-7:00 PM ET)

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The two organizations that present the most creative and compelling

Crowdfunding projects

Free Branding And marketing Training

The organization with the greatest cumulative social media activity throughout the contest:

Greatest Number of Facebook Likes or Shares

Number of Posts

In order to win the matching funds donors and supporters must always tag

Homies Unidos has advocated for just policies to deal with the issue of violence that plagues not just the streets of Los Angeles but also the streets of Central America. We will be joining School of The Americas Watch in their mission to close down this school that has trained many dictators an assassins throughout Latin America. As part of our Youth Leadership training on civic engagement, we will be taking five youth who have graduated from our program to Columbus, GA and will be presenting on how, what happens in Latin America, affects our youth in the streets of Los Angeles. We will be screening the Fruits of War documentary and educating people from all parts of the U.S. about the work that Homies Unidos does and at the same time creating leaders of our youth who at one point where disfranchised and now are developing into advocates for social justice.

Help us raise the funds to take our youth to have this once in a lifetime amazing experience. DONATE NOW

Concert “VOS SOS MI CANTO” dedicated to children detained in the centers of migration. On October 4th we will start 5:30PM with a Immigration forum. We have organize two shows, 7PM and 9:30 pm, with the collaboration of distinguished Central American artists (see below), we will also collect basic necessities that children need in a detention center we are partnering with, the proceeds of the concert will be used for training and transportation .for more info